World Wide Inspiration

Slowly and ever so silently, yet steadily and consistently, like the ticking of the clock. Everyday just watching, recording and reporting each visit to each page; the location the visitor came from, how long he stayed and what caught his or her eye. Maybe they commented publicly or maybe as is often the case—privately, to my email. Some are known, many are not; some are from places I’ve visited others, from places I hope to visit one day.

The PinF count is set to reach another milestone very soon. Thirty months ago PinF was launched, destination--clearly unknown. What started as more of a novelty to goof off with distant friends, PinF has slowly evolved into the online personal journal it is today due primarily to the influence of external forces-- AKA change, that we call life. These experiences-- travels, laughs, and tears are by no means unique to PinF alone. Nor for that matter is the experience of raising a daughter as a divorced father. What is unique is the influence that these experiences have had and the power of translation this Blog has given to such experiences.

The good, the bad, the happy and the sad, the adventures and travels, including the trips and falls, the countless steps—both forward and sometimes back, almost all of theses stories have graced this site. PinF could never have considered maintaining such a public log of his journey 30 months ago. At that point in time the life of PinF was day-by-day, due to radical changes in the personal life of its author. Still, the ability of being able to look back is always a blessing to remind one of the temporary nature of the passing storms of life. What at one time may have seemed either insurmountable, too painful, or unimaginable, slowly just becomes just another day in the life—for better or for worse.

I have, through this Blog, communicated, laughed, shared, and indeed become friends with hundreds of people the world over. Strange really, that perfect strangers feel as they know you, and in a way they often do, better than people who know you in the physical sense. Because they’ve read between the lines, they’ve recognized the shared pains, triumphs and day-to-day life experiences and because the forum AKA as PinF has bothered to express what has often seemed boring or routine. Still, PinF receives emails from as far as Australia telling me how these experiences were exactly like something that happened to them. That’s kind of cool, when your daily drivel can have that ripple-on-a-pond effect.

I’m often at a point where I think I’m going to just let it end, no official sign off, just a kind of fade to black. Just then, I'’ll be doing something that'll strike my interest (or ire), or as is often the case, someone will write me a note or comment that makes me want to write “one more” post. Hell like I said, I never imagined I’d have written 170 essays in 840 days, visited by 24,400 people, who’ve read over 45,000 pages. That seems bizarre to me. But these are the numbers I’m told, and from over 70 countries no less. I imagine I’ll hit 25,000 visitors by the end of October give or take, I’m wondering what I can do to mark that milestone. (any ideas?)

In any event, the whole experience of PinF were it to end tomorrow, has been such a rich exercise in global positioning, one that's been worth all the experiences I’ve lived through, both good, and bad in order to generate these posts. In that I mean, that knowing my everyday simple yet complex life of rich thought and often simple experiences is read by any number of people in any number of foreign lands is a reassuring, humbling, and nice thought.

Paynter may be in Florida, but he’s in Great Britain, New York, Zimbabwe, Brighton, Moscow, Dallas, Copenhagen, Chicago, Bergen, Atlanta, Brussels, Malta, Akron, Sweden, Washington, Greece and Ireland as well as many, many others............

Thanks to ALL of you, everywhere you are.